Snow shows why our airports must grow

Heathrow is operating at capacity, and cannot cope with adverse conditions

Snow is not an unusual phenomenon in Britain: we get an icy spell most years. In fact, snow in this country is as predictable as the incompetent response to it. A couple of inches of the white stuff dusts the South, and what happens? Schools are closed, traffic grinds to a halt, and flights are delayed. Everyone is solemnly advised “not to travel, unless your journey is absolutely necessary”.

This year’s snowfall was anticipated by weather forecasters well in advance – as indeed was last year’s. But at Heathrow, Britain’s primary airport, the authorities appeared incapable of preventing appalling travel disruption. Passengers complained of being stranded on board grounded aeroplanes and in the airport, as hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed. The problems carried on long after snow had stopped falling, and chaos is expected to continue today, with at least a fifth of flights likely to be cancelled.

How can we claim to welcome international business people when 2in of snow leads to so much inconvenience for travellers? The massive backlog that has built up at Britain’s main international hub highlights the urgent need for airport expansion. BAA Heathrow said yesterday that the airport is operating at nearly 100 per cent capacity. Something is wrong if that means that the service is so overstretched that it cannot recover quickly from delays caused by poor visibility, and grinds to a halt.

If Britain is to be truly “open for business”, then a decision needs to be taken soon about how we are to expand our airport capacity. A country whose transport infrastructure seizes up when faced with a patch of wintry weather risks becoming an international laughing stock.